TRIUMPH OF PETER PAN.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20455, 7 November 1934, Page 12

TRIUMPH OF PETER PAN.

Wins His Second Melbourne Cup and Thus Equals Archer’s 72-year-old Record. SLOWEST RUN CUP SINCE 1868. PETER PAN, at Flemington yestei-day, succeeded in doing what Phar Lap could not manage. He triumphed where a number of other notable horses in the past have failed, and he effectively disposed of several supposed “ hoodoos.”

The first two Melbourne Cups were won by Archer. That happened in 1861 and* 1562. Never since, though many have tried, has any horse captured the race twice until Peter Pan. the 1932 victor, came home at the head of the field yesterday.

That is No. 1 “ hoodoo ” gone West. Another “ hoodoo ” that should never have been invented is that the winning of a Melbourne Cup is the end of a horse’s career. A third “ hoodoo ” is involved in the fate of the winner of the Melbourne Stakes, run on Derby* day*. Phar Lap won the Stakes and the Cup in 1930. He captured the Stakes again in 1931, but not the Cup. Peter Pan, however, won the double in 1932 and again this year. Phar Lap ran third in the Melbourne Cup of 1929 as a three-year-old with 7.6. He won the next year with 9.12. and finished eighth in 1931 with 10.10. Carbine was second as a four-year-old in 1889 with 10.0 and won twelve months later with 10.5. Westcourt was second in 1915 and won in 1917. Lord Cardigan won in 1903 and was runnerup in 1904. Spearfelt was third in 1924 and won in 1920. The Grafter, second to his brother and stablemate, Gaulus,” in 1896, won in 1897. Those are the horses who, until yesterday*, had got nearest to winning the 'Melbourne Cup twice. The only horses that have won the Melbourne Cup with more weight than the 9.10 carried by Peter Pan yesterday* are: Carbine 10.5, Archer 10.2, Poitrel 10.0, and Phar Lap 9.12. Malua had 9.9. Remarkably Slow Time. It was very* wet on Melbourne Cup day*, 1892, when the rank outsider, Glenloth, won, but he ran the two miles in 3min 36£sec. The time for the race yesterday-, 3min 40Jsec, is extraordinarily* slow. In 1882 The Assyrian and in 1869 Warrior each took 3min 40sec It is necessary* to go back to the ’sixties to find slower times than that of Peter Pan y*esterday*. Archer took 3min 52sec in 1861 and 3min 47sec a year later. In 1863, Banker took 3min 45sec; in 1864, Lantern occupied 3m in 52sec; in 1865, Toryboy registered 3min 44sec; in 1866, The Barb put up 3min 43sec, and in 1868 Glencoe won in 3min 42sec. ‘ When Peter Pan won in 1932 his time was 3min 23? sec. The Melbourne Cup record is 3min 222 sec. Owner and Trainer. Mr R. R. Dangar, owner of Peter I Pan, is a member of a well-known family- of New South Wales pastoralists, who have been prominently associated with racing for many* years. The Dangar Handicap at Randwick is named after a member of this family-. Mr Ken Austin, managing director of the Elderslie stud, is related by marriage to the owner of Peter Pan. Frank M’Grath, trainer of Peter Pan. is one of the veterans now. He was a jockey* in his day, and was verv badlv [ injured in the terrible Caulfie'ld Cup ! smash of 1885, when sixteen horses fell : and a leading jockey, Donald Nicholson. was killed. M’Grath has now trained three winners of the Melbourne Cup (Prince Foote and Peter Pan, twice). He had charge of Amounis, winner of £48,297 10s in stakes. Among other good winners he has prepared is Denis Boy (winner of the A.J.C. Metropolitan. Caulfield Cup and Cantala Stakes).

Winning Rider. Darby Munro, rider of the winner, is a younger brother of James Munro. who won the Melbourne Cup in 1925 on Windbag and again in 1928 on Statesman. They are sons of the late Hugh Munro, who had charge for the late Mr C. L. Macdonald when that renowned owner raced Revenue. Wakeful and other celebrities of the Australian turf. J. E. Pike was to have ridden Peter Pan. but he was suspended for two months at Randwick a month ago. Then J. Munro was mentioned, but he left for India about a fortnight ago. As a y*oungster. when he was too youthful to obtain permission to ride ra ces. Darby* Munro earned encomiums of the keenest jpdges at Randwick. including Mr Richard Wootton, u the way he rode work on the tracks. For a time when he did become a race rider, his success seemed to hang in the balance, but he is well established nowadays. Dam Has N.Z. Blood. Small wonder that Peter Pan can stay for ever, seeing that he is by the

Tracery horse Pantheon from a mare by St Alwyne, sire of Poitrel and Night Watch (Melbourne Cup winners), Moorilla (Sydney Cup) and St Carwyne (A.J.C. Metropolitan). Pantheon’s dam was Scotch Rose by Your Majesty (son of Persimmon' from Rose of Ayrshire by Ayrshire (son of Hampton). Alwina, dam of Peter Pan, was bred by Messrs W. and F. A. Moses. She was sold as a yearling for 200 guineas, but though placed in training, was never raced. Her dam was Formaliter, by Boniform (son of Multiform) from Waitemata, by Eridspord (son of Isonomy) from Aorere, by Chester (son of Yattendon) from Kaipara, by Goldsbrough (son of Fireworks) from Maritana, by New Warrior (son of Pyrrhus I.) from Mermaid (ancestress of Wallace and Uncle Sam), by Fisherman. Waitemata was bred in Victoria and was imported to New Zealand, where she produced.' among others. Formaliter. who was a half-sister to Kamo, winner of the A.R.C. Welcome Stakes, Musket Stakes, Champagne Stakes, Sylvia Handicap, and of races in Melbourne. Pantheon on the Turf. Pantheon raced eleven times in England in the best company. He was placed in both his starts as a two-year-old, on one occasion being third to Diophon at Newmarket. As a three-year-old he won the Newmarket Spring Three-year-old Stakes, Midland Breeders’ Foal Plate; ran second in the Lingfield Park Plate, Newmarket Triennial Pioduce Stakes, Goodwood Gorton Three-year-old Stakes; third in the Newmarket Royal Stakes to St Germany and Despatch, with Diophon, -winner of the Two Thousand Guineas, unplaced. In Australia he won the A.J.C. Randwick Plate (twice). He was third in the Melbourne Cup of 1926 with 9.3 to Spearfelt 9.3 and Naos 7.0, and in the following autumn the place-getters in the Australian Cup wej*e the same. Minor Place-getters. Sarcherie, the runner-up, has done little racing. She is a four-year-old mare and her sire, Archery, like Pantheon, is a son of Tracery. Archery was sold as a yearling in England for 9400 guineas and came later to New Zealand. At the Elderslie stud dispersal sale he was purchased by Mr J. JLeahy, of New South Wales, for 4500 guineas. His granddam was a sister to Chaucer and half-sister to Swynford. Mr Leahy also owns Silverado. Sarkara, dam of Sarcherie, is by Buckwheat from the New Zealand mare Stephanos by Stepniak from Field Rose by Hotchkiss from Rose of V ellington by St Leger. Mr Leahy bred Sarcherie and races her himself. He also won the A.J.C. Metropolitan with Speciality. La Trobe, who was third, is a four-vear-old gelding, also raced by his breeder, Mr G. L. Scott, who recently purchased the New Zealand colt Radiant Star. La Trobe is by the A.J.C. Doncaster winner, Simeon’s Fort, a son of the Swvnford horse Hainault. Saucy Sue, dam' of La Trobe, is by Magpie from Sue by Tressadv from Formula by Multiform from Sonsie by Ayr Laddie from Yestalia by Chester from the Musket mare Volley. Peter Pan's Record. Peter Pan has only 23 times^.

been second four times, being unplaced in five races. In stakes he has won £25,823. His record is: At Two Years. One unplaced start. At Three Years. Won (d.h.) Novice, W. Farm, lm. Won Hill Stakes, Rosehill, lm. Won A.J.C. Derby, .lim. Won V.R.C. Melbourne Stakes, llm. Won Melbourne Cup, 2m. Won Rand wick Stakes, lm. Won A.J.C. St Leger, llm. Won A j.C. Cumberland Plate, 12m. Won A.J.C. Plate. 2£m. Unplaced in two races. At Four Years. 2nd Rawson Stakes, Rosehill, 9f. Won A.J.C. Autumn Plate, lim. Won A.J.C. Cumberland Plate, 2.1 m. 2nd King’s Cup (Randwick), lim. Unplaced in two races. At Five Years. 2nd Chelmsford St., Randwick, 9f. 2nd A.J.C. Spring Stakes, lim. 2nd A.J.C. Craven Plate, llm. Won V.R.C. Melbourne Stakes, llm. ■ I Won Melbourne Cup, 2m.